On Nov. 6, voters across the U.S. were informed that Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election. Senate Republicans have the majority and as of Nov. 6 gained three seats, while House Democrats lost one seat. The house majority still remains unclear as races continue to be tallied.
In New York state, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand got reelected to the state senate and Josh Riley took District 19 in a close congressional race. Lea Webb also won reelection as the New York state senator for District 52, and Anna Kelles won as state assemblymember. Everyone elected to office in the state is affiliated with the Democratic Party
The state passed Proposition 1, also known as the Equal Rights Amendment, which will expand legal protection against discrimination based on ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, gender identity and expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes and discrimination based on reproductive autonomy. About 62% of voters voted ‘yes’ for Prop 1.
Sophomore Lucia Carucci Villano said results for the state were largely what she expected them to be. Carucci Villano is from Westchester, NY, but said she chose to vote in Tompkins County because she wanted to vote in person. She said some key stances she cared about were gun rights, LGBTQ+ rights and reproductive rights.
“I voted yes on Prop 1,” Carucci Villano said. “It did remind me … of the era of the Equal Rights Amendment … a lot of the rhetoric was similar. That was definitely interesting. I mean, ensuring that there’s no prejudice and mistreatment based off of those factors is always something that’s important to consider.”
Students watched the results of the presidential election crawl in on Nov. 5 at an election watch party organized by the Department of History. Michael Smith, professor in the Department of History, switched among different media outlets that were predicting the outcome of the election and following updates.
During the watch party, Smith spoke about historical political trends the country has seen, like the concentration of Democratic voters in urban and educated areas like Tompkins County.
“History makes more sense and has more meaning if you attach it to something,” Smith said. “It’s not just 2024, but there are these patterns that we can observe, these changes that are important.”
Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, said in a press release that New York state came together and rallied behind each other to pass Prop 1.
“Tonight, New Yorkers stood up for women and LGBT, immigrant and disabled New Yorkers by approving the most progressive and comprehensive state Equal Rights Amendment in the country,” Lieberman said. “With this vote, New York enshrines the right to abortion in the New York State Constitution and expands anti-discrimination protections to those who have been excluded for far too long.”
Carucci Villano said that in the future, she wishes to see more young people vote and participate in civic engagement. For Carucci Villano, who is a first-time voter, being able to cast a vote is personal.
“I think about the people who fought and gave their lives for women and people of color to have the right to vote,” Carucci Villano said. “[My great-grandmother] was alive at a time when women didn’t have the right to vote. … Sometimes it just hits me, and I’m like, ‘If you’re not gonna vote for yourself, at least vote for the people who fought to give you this right.’”
On Nov. 6, students gathered at IC Square for Open Mic Night, searching for community and distraction. Junior Bella Joyner, one of the hosts of Open Mic Night, said the goal of this particular night was to offer open support and give students a place to express themselves freely.
“It has been a really long day with a lot of big feelings for everyone,” Joyner said. “People are always welcome to have fun and bring some good vibes amongst all the bad news.”
Joyner said she receives much of her news from her social media feeds and social groups and that they led her to believe that the Harris campaign would succeed. Joyner said the Trump campaign victory surprised her.
“All my surroundings are very liberal,” Joyner said. “I guess I had higher hopes.”
Sophomore Noah Robinson said he watched the election throughout the night, becoming increasingly more concerned. He said that by the time he went to bed, he was sure Trump had won, but hoped for different news in the morning.
Cyndy Scheibe, Dana professor in the Department of Psychology, said she made class optional Nov. 6 and informal so that students could choose for themselves whether to return to class after a long night of waiting. Scheibe said 25 out of 90 students attended class.
“We talked a lot about our system of government and the way it works and what we know about what’s likely to happen,” Scheibe said. “I gave them some of my thoughts and advice on moving forward.”
Cornell Democrats, Progressives at Cornell, Cornell Young Democratic-Socialists of America and Students for Justice in Palestine at Cornell are organizing a rally and march against Trump and fascism Nov. 8. The march will begin at 3:45 p.m. from Ho Plaza at Cornell to the Ithaca Commons.
